Broken Oceans
by chocolate coffee
Summary: Bella offers herself in place of her father when pirates attack her town and is dragged along with them. She soon discovers secrets she was never meant to, ones her father would die for. Can she escape the man that murdered her family? Can she love him?
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Bella offers herself in place of her father when pirates attack her town, looking to kill him, and is dragged into their filthy deeds. As they journey across the seas, she uncovers secrets that she was never meant to. Loyalty is tested and dangerous bonds are formed. Can she escape the one who murdered her family? Or, even worse than being stuck there: could she love him? AU OOC**

**the story is set in the 2700's, far in the future where a lot has changed but not everything has... so please don't ask me when it is set or why things are the way they are, cause its a fanfic. i get to mess with things like that. the twilight series has never occurred...**

**Alright guys... i know its been about a year since i last wrote a proper story on here, and im really really sorry to all the people ive lost contact with. it was pretty rude of me, but necessary at the time.  
****  
yes, i do know that it is another pirate story, but im starting to think that im obsessed with that kind of stuff. this story of mine has a lot of the same setting as my last, but it's got a really different plot and mood, mostly just because ive changed a lot in the past year. hopefully you guys will like it... if not, then i guess ill try another idea some other time. im  
also sorry if im not able to reply to any questions and stuff, but complications do arise.**

**i tried to get it to have normal spacing, but i dunno if it worked, so please just ignore it if its off.**

**please enjoy guys! and please review so i know whether or not to stick with this story idea!**

"Bella, go get your father from the cellar. His supper is already cold, and it is well time that he gets some rest before heading off in the morning."

I glanced up at my mother, Renee, from my reading.

"Yes, mother."

Setting the book down, I looked out the window to see the sun inching its way beneath the horizon.

My father, Charlie, was completely absorbed in his work when I descended the dirt stairs into the cellar. He was hunched over rolls and rolls of paper that had sketches on them. He had always been working with these, for as long as I could remember. They were his life. Tomorrow, for the first time, he would be taking all of the supplies to somewhere safer. What the papers were exactly I did not know.

I was worried about how we would handle his leaving. Sure, it would only be a couple of months, but I would have to help my mother out a lot.

"Father?"

He jumped, knocking his ink canister onto the floor. Ink like blood leaked across the dirt floor and I heard him curse under his breath.

I grabbed a cloth from the other side of the room and knelt down next to him, pressing it against the stain.

"Mother says that you should come up now and eat before bed. You have a long day tomorrow," I explained as he wiped the canister clean of ink.

"I suppose she's right," he sighed, beginning to put the papers in cloth bags.

"Thanks, Bells, for cleaning up my mess." He leaned down and pat me on the back and I smiled back up at him when he used my childhood nickname.

"It's not a problem, Father."

I heard him pick up the bags of papers and head up stairs.

I couldn't get any more ink out of the ground. A terrible looking stain would remain. I shivered as I thought of the blood it looked like.

Standing, I threw the used cloth into my wash pile for the following day, which was not far off, I realized, when I joined my family upstairs again. The oil lanterns lit the streets seen out the window dimly, and I could see where they cut off and the ocean began.

"Bella," my mother began, "would you please tuck Gil and Rebekah into bed?"

"Of course, mother."

I glanced over at my two younger siblings. Gil was nine and wanted more than anything to be a captain of a ship one day, and Rebekah was seven and trying to act grown up all of the time and failing miserably.

"Come on, guys." I summoned them from next to the fireplace and they ran over.

"Will you tell us a story, Bella?" Rebekah asked, clinging to my dress.

"If you get ready quickly enough."

She began to walk up the stairs while Gil simply zoomed past her.

When I got to our room (we all shared one), they had both changed and were waiting in bed for me, anticipating a story.

I went over and sat on my bed, between them.

"Alright, which story should I tell tonight?"

"The one about the fight that the royal navy had with the French!" Gil said immediately.

"No! That one's yucky! The one about the poor girl and the nice old lady," Rebekah insisted.

Gil was ready to argue.

"But that's stupid! The old lady's-"

A huge crash was heard from outside and I raced over to the window as Gil exclaimed, "Cannon fire! Cool!"

Screams arose from closer to the port and flames appeared in the distance.

Gil joined me as another cannon blast echoed in our ears and Bekah screamed into the blankets.

"Look, Bella!" Gil yelled, pointed.

In a panic, I got down to his eye level and followed his gaze to a shadow on the water.

"What is it, Gil?" He would know.

"A ship! It's a ship!"

Was it the French attacking?

I gained a bit of common sense and pulled Gil away from the window.

"Come on, Bekah," I said as the screaming grew louder and closer.

She was crying as she ran to me and I picked her up as we raced down the stairs to where my mother and father were in a frantic.

"What's happening?" I asked, my voice catching slightly.

"We're being attacked. How close are they to here?" My father yelled as the screams on the streets grew louder.

"Getting closer every second," I replied. He hurried into gathering his supplies and then ran out the door, yelling that he'd be right back.

People were running in the streets now, and I saw buildings burst into flames down the road.

"We have to go, now!" My mother was frantic, and I was too, by now.

She pulled us out the door and we met my father.

"We must run." Something in his eyes held me still, though, as my mother and siblings began to race away from the fires.

I glanced down the street to see families being yanked out of their homes by men with swords. I watched as a sword was brought down on a man, and heard guns being fired all around me.

People raced in front of my father and I, running from our attackers.

"Father, who are they?" I yelled.

"Pirates! Now run!"

He gave me a push and I ran through the crowds, getting hit on the head a couple of times by bits of the falling houses.

A cold hand reached out and grabbed my arm and I screamed.

"Get off!"

I looked up at a pirate and tried to pull away, screaming.

"Let her go. She's not who we're looking for," another pirate commanded.

The man holding me released me from his deathly tight grip and I fell down, only to stumble forward once again, running.

"Bella! Bella!" My mother's voice came from a street next to me and I ran over to her, crying and embracing her.

"Bella, where is your father?" Her voice raised a pitch as she asked.

"I thought that he ran! Did-did he not catch up to you?"

She shook her head, no.

I had to find him.

She screamed my name as I turned and raced back the way that I had come, pleading that I stay with her.

Buildings were shattering around me and men were fighting the pirates to protect their families. Bodies littered the ground that was now the same color as the stain in our cellar.

"Father? Father?" I searched with my eyes as I ran.

I tripped over wood and fell onto more wood, cutting my forehead, but I didn't have time to stop. I had a bad feeling.

"Father?" I continued to yell for him. Had he not even attempted to run to his family?

Our home was not far away and I raced to it, bursting through the door to find my father messing with papers frantically.

He spun around with a knife raised as I ran in, surprising him.

"Bella! You were supposed to go with your mother! Go now!"

"Father, come on! These papers can't be more important than your life! Please!" I pleaded, tears forming again as I realized that he meant to stay.

"Bella, Bella listen to me. Take this note to your mother and leave." His eyes were full of pain as he handed me a folded note. I took it and tucked it away.

"But you have to come!"

He came over and took my hands.

"Bells, you've grown up so much, and I love you, but I have to do this. Now go." His eyes hurt me.

"No! I'm not leaving!"

The door flew open, breaking off of its hinges, and I screamed as a pirate made his way toward us.

"Get off!" I screamed. My father yelled as I was grabbed violently and came toward the man with the knife.

I kicked at the man as he twisted the knife-holding hand away and pulled us both out onto the street.

We were thrown to the ground as he unsheathed his sword, pointing it at us, and I screamed again, sobbing.

Another pirate joined him with another sword.

"He matches the description. Get the captain!" One yelled and the other raced away, returning seconds later with a man whom I presumed to be the captain.

I crawled over to my father who had hit his head and was bleeding.

"Bella, run. The first chance you get, run and leave the town. Hide. You know nothing, so you are safe."

"Father! No!" I cried into his shirt.

"Hold the girl," the captain commanded the other two.

I screamed as they tore me away and punched at them. They simply gripped my wrists and held me back.

"Is this your daughter, Charlie Swan? You shouldn't have dragged her into this mess."

My father looked like he had been slapped at the captain's words.

"Stop it!" I yelled, trying to break free of the grip held on me. No one took any notice.

"However, you would not have told her a thing, so she may go free after we have finished with you."

They were going to kill him...

"Now, where are the papers?"

"Some were inside the house, sir," the brute at my right said.

The captain glanced through the window to see the papers on our kitchen table before returning his gaze to my father.

"And where are the rest? Or is that all?"

My father held his tongue, though I wanted to scream at him just to tell.

"You are a fool not to tell us. You know that you will be killed either way."

The captain pulled out his own sword and I began to sob harder, screaming.

"Don't! Please!"

The sword cut through the air, slicing it toward my father.

"NO!"

**there it is... i dunno if i should do another pirate one or not, but ill let you guys tell me that, so please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**thanks for the reviews guys :D im glad you guys arent terribly opposed to another pirate story.**

**please let me know how you like the style of writing, cuz i know that its changed...**

"NO!"

The sound of the sword continued to fall through the air as I squeezed my crying eyes shut, but when it had silenced I could still hear my father's heavy breathing.

"And who are you to believe that you can stop us from harming him?"

I opened my eyes to meet the captain's gaze.

"Do you have withheld information? Because if so, it would be in your best interest to tell me." His voice was cold as he raised the tip of the sword to my own throat and I tensed. Though the words seemed rather lighthearted, the seriousness of the situation was overpowering as I became very aware of the screams and smells of smoke around me, and now sharp metal pressed to my airway.

I remembered the papers from earlier that day, in the cellar. There had been more of them. Where were the rest? Should I tell him to save my father? Charlie was obviously willing to do a  
lot to protect them.

"Please, don't hurt her. She knows nothing," my father pleaded, still on the ground and bleeding from the forehead.

The harsh gaze of the captain turned to him.

"You are not in the position to be asking favors. You are the reason that your town is being burned down. All for the search of you. You are at my mercy. Your daughter is at my mercy."

I should've ran when my father told me to, or at least hid. Now they were using me against my father. I knew that he would do anything for me, and now they saw that opportunity and would use it against him. It killed me to think that I might be the reason for his lack of attempt to save himself, instead of sitting there, playing with time. He could've ran; if I hadn't returned to get him, he might've had time to run out before the pirates even reached our house.

"Please... just let her go." He was looking at me. More tears fell and I tried to shake the pirate off of me.

"She will be fine. It's yourself that you had better begin to worry about, and now would be the time to tell me anything else."

_Just tell them..._

The captain and my father looked at one another for an endless time. I could see my father softening. He would tell them, and perhaps they would let him live.

_Come on... just say the words..._

His face suddenly hardened.

"No."

Once again, I was screaming at him in my head. Pleading that he could have just said something, even a lie.

The captain's eyes sharpened and he looked livid.

"Your choice."

"Don't!" I yelled. "Please!"

He looked at the pirate holding me and the one next to us.

"The girl is free to go."

They let go, but when I tried to run to Charlie, an arm shot out in front of me, knocking me violently back onto the ground.

"Father!"

The pirate captain turned around, starting to walk away.

"Kill him and get the papers."

"No!" I was sobbing again as the man next to me pulled out his sword, advancing on my father.

I stood up and ran at the captain.

"Please! Don't!"

I grabbed his shirt and he spun around, glaring at me. I clung on as he tried to pull me off.

"Please!" I sobbed and pulled him downward with me as my knees gave out, holding on still.

"You can't kill him! Please! You can have me instead! Just don't kill him!"

He held up a hand to stop the onlooking pirates from moving and gripped my hands, pulling me up and closer to him.

"I can take you, if we leave your father be?"

"Bella! No!" My father's voice came from behind me, and my eyes spilled over again as I heard the pain in his voice.

But I couldn't let them hurt him. Nothing that they did to me could be worse than killing him.

"Do you promise?" It was a low whisper, one that no one around us could hear. He nodded.

"Then yes."

Another steely flash could be seen in his eyes as the fire around us flared. It was a look of dark amusement mixed with anger.

"Come and hold her," he commanded a watching crew member.

I was handed over to the new face, and was held in a tight grip.

When I turned to look at my father, the tears fell harder. His face was tortured as he mouthed my name to himself. I simply shook my head sadly.

"Take her back to the ship. We can sell her for some gold next stop."

"No!" My father was standing up now, fighting against the pirates holding him back from running and tackling me. It hurt me to see that he was crying. I'd never seen him cry before.

My captor started to pick me up, slinging me over his shoulder. I didn't fight.

One of the crew spoke up.

"Captain, you're not really just going to leave him..."

"No. Of course not. We just get an added bonus that I hadn't expected. Tie him in the house and burn it."

I began to scream and kick and cry, blood rushing to my cheeks with anger as I saw men drag my father into the house as I was carried away. They returned moments later with those beloved papers. I wanted to burn them now; they were the cause of this hell-like situation.

"Don't!" I began to scream names for the captain as gun powder was dumped inside and lit.

"YOU PROMISED!" I yelled through the tears. He didn't even turn to look at me as distance separated us.

"Father!"

My tears were rolling onto the street below as I yelled and kicked.

By the time we were far enough away that they couldn't hear us, my house was up in flames, along with my father.

**theres chapter two... please review and tell me how you like it or hate it :P**


	3. Chapter 3

**sorry i didn't update yesterday guys... the power was out from mid afternoon to when i woke up this morning... er, afternoon. it really bugged me cuz i wanted to type last night.**

**anyway, this is chapter three. i was happy to see some old reviewers and new reviewers! thank all you guys!**

**and i forgot. so DISCLAIMER for the entire story. i dont own the characters or that stuff... anything of S.M.'s is not mine.**

**enjoy...**

I watched through teary eyes as the pillar of smoke rose higher and higher from where the remains of my home and father were now. My entire body ached from crying so hard, and I had soaked the shirt of the pirate holding me. Not that I even cared...

As he hurried us through the now eerily silent town, I saw bodies and burnt remains of houses. I almost screamed when I saw an entire family laying dead right outside of their home. There were three children, all quite young, each soaked with their own blood. I was almost sick.

Suddenly a shout pierced the silence.

"Bella!"

We came to a sharp stop and my captor turned at the scream.

"Bella!" my mother screamed again as she ran at us, Gil and Bekah stumbling behind her.

I wanted to yell at her to run away now, that they had killed father, but I couldn't make any noise from my burning throat.

"Put her down! Put my daughter down!" She ran at the pirate holding me, a mad look in her eyes.

Suddenly I was thrown down onto the ground as the man drew his sword.

"No!" I croaked out. I couldn't lose her too. "Mom!"

She halted right as the sword was pointed at her chest.

"I would advise you to take your other children and leave while you can. The girl is ours now," the pirate said coldly, nodding in my direction.

My mother's eyes widened as she looked from him to me.

"You cannot take my child from me!" she said defiantly.

"Mom! No!" I croaked again, getting up on my feet and moving toward her.

She raised her fist and swung at the pirate, who in turn swung his sword at her.

"NO!" My own scream joined Gil's as we watched our mother fall to the ground in a bloody mess. Bekah looked up from where she had fallen and shrieked before beginning to sob.

I couldn't think. I did what I knew my mother would've wanted of me.

I raced over to Gil and Bekah, pulling her up and beginning to run with them.

"Come on, we have to run! Before he-"

I was cut off as hands grabbed me and pulled me back. I looked up to see the pirate that had just killed my mother drag me back, already starting for the ship again.

"Go!" I yelled at my siblings, who were just standing there, staring at my struggle. "Run!"

They ran away as the man pulled me to my feet and pushed me roughly forward.

"Get moving!" he said sharply.

I felt the sobs begin again as I was yanked past my mother's lifeless body.

"You killed her!" I yelled, turning and pounding my fists against him. "You murderer!"

I pushed at him as hard as I could, but he wouldn't let go, and I gave up quickly as I lost control of my body to shaking. I was slung over his shoulder once again, and soon I was aware of other pirates walking with us as we neared the ship

A cold voice came from my right.

"Knock her out."

Before I could even gasp, I was out.

* * *

When I awoke, light flooded my vision.

Blinking, I looked around. I was barred in a jail-cell-like room with sunlight pouring in through a small window in the wall.

Suddenly pain shot through my head, and I grabbed it, gasping.  
The memories of the night before rushed through me, and before I knew it I was sobbing again. Everything I had had was gone, and I was now on a ship, most likely already far away from my hometown, never to return.

The crying continued until I felt my eyes grow heavy again. Though it seemed to be the middle of the day, I had no problem in falling out of consciousness again.

* * *

Keys clicked and my eyes snapped open to see a light-haired man unlocking my cell.

I stood up, perhaps too quickly because I became light-headed.

"Captain wants to see you now," the pirate said as he came over and held my hands tightly together behind my back before leading me out of the cell and to a staircase that led upward, to the deck I guessed. I didn't even remember to try and break free. I was too out of it.

"Why?" I asked, my voice hoarse from recent screaming and lack of water.

He didn't answer as I was led onto the deck. I shut my eyes as a salty wind stung them. They were still sore from the crying.

When I was able to open them again, I saw that it was late evening.

Eyes of the crew followed us as I was pushed around a corner to a door.

The blond pirate holding me tightly knocked on the cabin door twice.

"Enter," came the voice from inside. I recognized the voice quickly as the captain of the ship's and felt deep hatred rise inside of me. He had broken his promise, and now my father was dead.

I was pushed inside the cabin alone; the pirate who had led me remained behind.

The captain was sitting at a wooden desk in the corner of the cabin, hunched over papers that I immediately recognized as my dead father's.

"How could you?" I gasped, walking over to him without thinking and grabbing his shirt, attempting to pull him away from the papers.

He snapped his head around at me and in a blink was standing, gripping my shoulder with one cold hand tightly enough to make me wince.

"Bella, is it? You're going to have to learn how to control yourself and your emotions," he said, an amused glint in his eyes. I stared back in disbelief.

"Control my emotions? How could you expect me to control my emotions when you and your crew of pirates just murdered both of my parents last night!" My voice cracked multiple times.

He held me in place and stared at me.

Now that there was enough light, I could make out his features mostly.

His eyes were dark and bore into me as he stared. Various emotions flitted across his pale face. His hair was bronze like copper, and was windblown.

Though he had well-defined muscles, he looked pretty young to be a pirate captain, and I wondered just how much power this ship of his held in the seas.

As he stared at me, I grew aware that his already tight grip on my shoulder continued to tighten until it was enough to make me try to pull away. He seemed to become aware of this too and release me.

"It was necessary," he replied.

Before I could form a proper response to that, he continued.

"And now we will talk of your future."

He said he was just going to 'sell me for some gold' at the next stop; whether that was as a servant or something else. I really didn't want to think about the other option. What more could there be to my future? I didn't have the courage to ask. My shoulder was still hurting.

"We'll sell you at the next port as a servant. Until then, you will stay in a cabin down the hall," he said. "There's no point in locking you up beneath the deck, but if you get into any trouble I'll put you there right away."

He looked at me until I nodded, keeping my eyes on my feet.

"Alright then. I'll take you to the cabin now. Don't even try to run on the way."

Still keeping my eyes away from his gaze, I turned toward the door, and he lightly pushed me out onto the deck, a hand remaining locked on my shoulder the entire time just in case I decided to run.

How I saw it, though, running was pointless. Where could I run to on a ship, besides off of it? That would be suicide.

Around the corner was a door. The captain, I still didn't know his name, unlocked it and pushed me through the doorway.

"You'll stay in here. I will have a member of the crew bring you your meals," he said. "There's a bathroom connected. Alright?"

I could feel his eyes on me, waiting for a response before he left. I could tell that he liked to be in control because of the way he waited for me to answer each question, and it only made me hate him more.

I turned away as I replied because the strong emotions were making my eyes fill with tears. I had to get him to leave before he could see that.

"Yes," I whispered.

About five seconds later, I heard the door click shut. That's when I blinked and let the tears fall down my cheeks, a small gasp coming from my trembling lips.

I saw a porthole, like a small, round window, and walked over to it, pushing the ragged curtain blocking the light aside.

I looked outside. The view was of the horizon, where the sun must have just disappeared. The sky was gray against the dark waters, and I could hear the waves brushing against the side of the ship.

I had never been on a ship before, so it was all new to me.

My eyes were still watery when I turned back around, but I was able to focus on things other than my emotions.

First of all, the cabin was quite dark. I had seen an oil lantern by the small bed when I walked in, and now I went over and clicked it on, watching the flame flicker to life in the dim light.

Then I noticed that there was a bathroom, like the captain had said. It wasn't very elaborate, but I wasn't expecting that.

Overall, the cabin was small, especially compared to the one we had been in before, where he had been looking over my father's papers. Or some of them.

Because now that I thought about it, I was sure that there had been more papers. I would've thought that the pirates would have searched the area for more, just in case, and they might of. Obviously, however, they hadn't found the rest.

And I sure as hell wouldn't be the one to let them know that.

There was nothing to do in the cabin, so I moved the bed under the porthole for more light and crawled under the thin blanket that was on it.

I thought about my parents. They were both dead, killed by the men that were just outside of this cabin, working on the deck. As I thought about them, I found that I couldn't seem to cry for them anymore. I had shed all of the tears that I could for that cause.

Instead, tears returned to my eyes as I thought of Gil and Rebekah. They didn't even know that father was dead. They were both very young and all alone, probably hungry and scared. I would never see them again. I hoped that they would be alright.

I also cried out of self-pity. The rest of my life would be pointless now, with nobody to care about me or help me when I needed it. Not only were Gil and Bekah alone, but I was too. The pirates had murdered my family and destroyed our lives.

The worst part was that I was pretty sure they didn't even care.

**please review! and i know its really early in the story, but i still love any guesses as to whats coming up! thanks!**


	4. Chapter 4

**hey guys... thanks for the reviews and guesses. i know i update my stories at odd times (say in the middle of the morning when the world is dead) so i really appreciate when you take the time to write a review.**

**so this chapter isn't that long, but im really tired... so, enjoy!**

Two days passed by, dragging along slowly. Now I had been on this ship for four nights, or three days. The air in the cabin seemed heavy and hot, suffocating me.

During the day I turned out the oil lantern so it wouldn't waste fuel, and I turned it on again at night. At least on the second night in the cabin, that was, because on the third I was so bored that I had fallen asleep before the sun had even set and had waken up with the sunrise.

Twice a day I was brought food and water by a crew member. They were all different pirates, and never stayed. Open the door, put the food and canteen on the floor, walk out, lock the door behind you. Each time.

Now, I had just woke up in the morning of the fourth day . The sun was completely above the horizon, so I guesses it wasn't too early.

I groaned. Another day just sitting here. The dullness was killing me. Really, it was just depressing, because all that I had to do was think, and there wasn't much to think about that wasn't depressing.

I pressed my forehead against the porthole, looking at the clear sky. It had been cloudy the past couple of days, but today it looked clear.

I moved my gaze down to the waters, dark and beautiful. Before the past few days I had never been this close to the sea, even though I lived by a port. The shores were reserved for business only. No one else was supposed to go down there, especially not someone from my class.

It wasn't that my family was poor, everybody in the town just thought that my father was insane. We weren't rich either. A bit between average and poor.

Even despite class, though, I wouldn't be allowed there because I was a young girl.

I watched those endlessly deep waters for some time. They weren't too far away; the porthole wasn't that far above sea level. Foam passed by and every once and a while I'd see some bubbles rise to the surface.

I was so intent on the ocean that I jumped when the door opened.

A pirate with short brown hair was at the doorway, about to close the door after quickly putting my late breakfast down.

Without thinking, I ran off of the bed and across the small cabin floor and caught the door in one hand, before the pirate could close it.

Then I just stood there, staring stupidly at him with my mouth slightly open, unsure of what to say. The pirate looked ready to block me if I ran, but my feet were frozen to wooden floor.

I think that I had just done it out of desperation. I was so bored. But now, as I stood there, I realized how stupid it was.

"What?" the pirate asked, a look of amusement crossing his pale face as he watched me gawk.

"I... Umm..." Filler words. Smart, Bella. "I..."

A small laugh escaped his mouth.

"Nevermind..." I muttered, not liking being laughed at. I tried to close the door, but it wouldn't shut. Something was in the way.

His boot.

He yanked the door open suddenly, making me stumble back a bit, and took a couple steps into the cabin.

"You're just bored, aren't you?" he asked, his dark eyes looking down at me, amusement still flashing in them.

I didn't know what to say. Yes, I was bored. How had he guessed? Could he do anything about it? No.

Suddenly I was a bit afraid. This man looked extremely big, and I realized that I had practically invited him into the cabin alone with me.

I didn't know much about pirates, but I knew that they weren't very nice. A few days ago had been proof of that.

So when he grabbed my wrist, I yelped and tried to pull away. He wouldn't let go, instead surprising me as he pulled me, not roughly, to the doorway.

"Come on, then," he said to me. "Come on out with me on the deck. It would give me an excuse not to work so hard, and you could get out of that damn small cabin for a bit."

I saw many ways that this could turn out wrong, and tried to point out the most obvious.

"But the captain said-"  
"I'm on good terms with Captain Cullen right now," the pirate said.

Cullen... I should probably try to remember that.

"And if he says no, I'll just bring you back."

Before I could say anything else, he pulled me out onto the deck.

Many dark eyes turned to look at us as we entered the sunlight. I grimaced at it, covering my eyes with my free hand as the other was pulled up a few stairs, be clumsily following it and the pirate.

"What are we doing?" I asked him.

We got to the top of the stairs and I saw that they led to a small steering deck.

Captain Cullen was at the steering wheel, talking to another pirate, one with floppy blonde hair that was holding another one of my father's papers.

They were both discussing it intently, and it was all that I could do to keep my mouth shut. My hands formed tight fists and my forehead creased in anger.

They were so into whatever they were talking about that they didn't even notice us come up, but when we got close enough they did.

The blonde pirate rolled the papers up so quickly I couldn't even tell which pocket he put them in and looked warily at me. I glared back, wanting to punch him.

The captain looked at the pirate leading me and sighed, shaking his head.

"Emmett... what are you thinking?" Captain Cullen asked, sounding irritated but not mad. "What is she doing out here for? She needs to be locked up in that cabin."

I looked down at the wood as the pirate, Emmett, let my arm fall to my side.

"She's just bored. It wouldn't do any harm for her to follow me around for the day," Emmett said, walking over next to Captain Cullen.

They talked in low voices for a moment. The blonde was still staring at me.

I took a step back and stumbled on a crooked board in the deck, falling onto my back with an "oomph" sound.

The three of them looked over at me, amused, and Emmett chuckled.

I got back onto my feet and felt blood rush to my cheeks in embarrassment.

They all looked serious suddenly, and then Captain Cullen said, "Alright, Emmett. But she has to be back in the cabin by midday."  
"Yes sir, Captain!" Emmett said cheerfully, breaking the tension and already walking back over to me.  
"Be careful," the captain warned him.

I started to follow him down to the main deck, but was stopped.

"Bella," Captain Cullen said, "don't do anything stupid."

I shook my head and quickly went down to Emmett.

"Sorry 'bout that. He's paranoid."

He then started working, and I just leaned up against the railing, thinking. I still had that feeling of hatred and anger over the papers, and it wasn't going away. I also felt awkward, because over a dozen eyes kept glancing over at me.  
After the feeling wore off, I began to appreciate being out here. There was a breeze that cooled me off and I could clearly hear the waves.

I watched the pirates work. They were all quite strong, and moved with grace. Some carried things around and others helped with the rigging. Emmett was one of the latter.

I could tell that Emmett wanted to talk, and he kept asking me pointless questions, but I didn't answer. I was starting to think that he was as bored out here as I was in the cabin. He was always humming and grinning to himself.

Too quickly, midday arrived, and Emmett reluctantly led me back to the cabin after having been reminded by the captain twice.

"Well, your breakfast is still there, so I guess I'll just leave now," Emmett said.

"Thanks," I muttered as he started to close the door. I saw him grin as it clicked shut and was locked.

I ate my breakfast/lunch, and hours passed as the sun sank. I was back to being bored, just sitting on the bed, looking out the window.

Soon enough it was twilight, and I decided to just go to sleep for the night. Just being in the sun had worn me out today.

So I settled down on the bed and closed my eyes.

That's when I heard the yells.

We were being attacked.

**once again, sorry its not that long, but i hope that you still liked it! not that exciting either, but eh its still the beginning of the story. im just setting stuff up. haha i hope it wasn't too boring :P please review! maybe itll help me type faster tomorrow haha**


	5. Chapter 5

**well, heres chapter five. and thank you so much to the reviewers! you guys helped me out... its been a long day... thanks, and enjoy!**

The yells from outside the cabin overwhelmed me, instantly bringing me back to a few nights ago, when these pirates had attacked our town and killed so many, taking me.

I panicked. What should I do? Should I try to get out and ask the attacking crew for help? Or were they pirates, too? Should I try and hide somewhere on the ship? Fight?

I soon found that I couldn't do anything, though, when I tried the door and found it was still locked.

The yells had increased in number on the deck, and I could hear the sound of fighting through the door.

One yell towered over the rest for a second.

"Get what you can and let's go!"

It must have been the other captain. This must be a raid.

I heard some scuffling on the other side of the door as raiders moved by outside, the sound of fighting still in the background.

Suddenly it occurred to me that I might want to hide. If that crew was just looking for treasures, I didn't want to end up as something to take. Who knew what they would do with me? Nothing nice, that I was sure about.

The panic was gone, so I ran over and straightened out the bed, making it look like no one had slept there, and, not seeing a better place to hide, crawled underneath it just as the door was broken open.

Two heavy pairs of footsteps rushed in, and I squeezed myself against the wall, trying to keep my breathing silent.

"There's not really much here," one said to the other as they looked around.

The other one, after glancing in the bathroom, said, "Bit sad in here, really. I suppose we can take the lamp."

He leaned down next to the bed to pick up the lamp. I was frozen, hoping he wouldn't see me.

"Hold on..." the other said. He was in the bathroom, looking at something that I couldn't see. "This is still a bit wet. Someone's been in here recently and the door was locked when we broke it down..."

They connected the points and slowly, one of them got down on his hands and knees and stuck his head under the bed.

"Hello, pretty," he said with a dirty grin when he saw me.

His hands flashed out and grabbed me, dragging me out from under the bed.

"Ah!" I let out the breath I'd been holding in a shriek and kicked at him. My foot made contact with his nose and he let go of me, snapping his hands to his nose which had cracked.

I jumped to my feet and leaped for the door.

The other pirate, seemingly in shock, snapped his gaze away from his crumpled-over crew mate and ran at me before I could get all of the way out the door.

I screamed again as his smelly arms wrapped around me, holding my arms to my side and my feet off of the ground.

"No! Get off of me!" I yelled, squirming to escape his grip. "Let me go!"

I was carried out onto the deck. The fighting was intense at this point and I saw blood on the deck.

It was clear to me who was from which crew, because the pirates from Captain Cullen's crew were all pretty big and pale, and there were far less of them than there were members of the attacking crew. Despite there being less of them, though, the fight seemed pretty even. Members of the other crew were everywhere, some carrying things that they found on the ship, some ganging up on their enemy.

Even though the fighting was intense, I noticed many eyes look up as I was dragged across the deck.

"Put me down!" I was yelling at him, struggling in his grip until I finally fell onto the deck with a thud.

I got up quickly, but his grubby hand grabbed at me and I lost balance. I fell and he grabbed my dress, trying to wrap his arms around me again.

"Stop!" I kicked at him and pulled away, but he easily picked me up again and walked over to where a man from his ship was fighting. The man was fighting Emmett.

"D'you want her, Captain?" he asked.

Emmett looked away from the captain at me for a second, and that was all it took for the sword to be against his throat.

Emmett put his hands up, surrendering, and looked between me and the captain.

"Yes, she'll be loads of fun to have around. Hold onto her back on our ship," the captain said, grinning sickly.

I was panicking again.

"Emmett!" I yelped as the pirate holding me began to drag me away again.

Emmett looked from the sword at his throat to me apologetically. At the same time, though, it looked like he was holding himself back. Like he could save me, right at this moment, but wouldn't let himself.

"Sorry, wish I coul-"

"Shut up, you!" the captain yelled at him.

I was carried over to the railing where he jumped ships.

"No!" I yelled, looking back and struggling as I was dragged onto the empty deck. "Just let me go!" I was surprised that I wasn't crying yet.

I stopped struggling, though, because even if I did escape him, I wasn't brave enough to jump ships over the roaring waters beneath us.

Instead I watched as the captain that had fought Emmett found Captain Cullen and engaged him in a fight. My eyes followed their movements, amazed at how fluid yet deadly they were.

It was all going so smoothly, and Captain Cullen was in the lead. I figured I'd rather be sold as a servant at the next port than stuck on this ship for what the captain of it had in mind, so I silently willed Captain Cullen to win. The only way I would get out of this was if they won, because even if the other crew didn't win, all they had to do was finish raiding the ship and leave with the stuff.

Thankfully, Captain Cullen was winning. He sidestepped every hit that could've been deadly and used it as an opportunity to deal a blow to his opponent. He was winning.

That was until the opposing captain said something to him that threw him completely off guard. I couldn't hear what it was, but it made him stumble, and that was all it took for the sword to come to his throat.

Captain Cullen put his hands up, surrendering, and I felt any hope of being saved fall away.

The winning crew let out a victory cry and I saw Captain Cullen's crew drop their swords in defeat, looking surprised that they had been beaten.

"Finish gathering everything from this ship," the winning captain said, addressing his crew. "Take their weapons, too."

Captain Cullen's crew was quickly disarmed and gathered in the middle of the deck as the rest of the ship was emptied of anything valuable.

The winning crew made their way one by one back to their ship, gathering around where I was held on the deck. Many looked at me, but I ignored them. I was thinking about how Emmett seemed to of held back. Couldn't he save me now? Just jump ships, grab me, and go back?

I didn't know why I was even thinking they would save me, though. What was I to them beside another thing worth money? Just like everything else that was taken from them.

Thinking of that reminded me of my father's papers, something they had attacked an entire town for. They must have been extremely valuable to the pirates. Where were they now?

The ship I was on started moving again; everyone was back on it. Nobody from the other ship had any reason to bring me back to them, so they didn't try.

But thinking about my father's papers had made me think of something that might make them want me back.

I was aware of Captain Cullen's eyes narrowed on me. This was probably the last thing that would save me, even though my father would have never wanted me to say it. But I had to try.

Raising my voice above any noise, before the ship I was on could get too far away, I said what I hoped would make them want to help me.

"There are more papers than the ones that you had!"

That did it. Or I thought it did, because Captain Cullen's eyes showed surprise and Emmett snapped his gaze to me. The blonde pirate that had been with the captain earlier that day looked my way, too.

They were all looking like they wanted to jump onto this ship and grab me now, to get more information from me, so I thought that they would at least try.

But they didn't. Instead, they huddled together and began whispering.

It was too late now. The ships weren't side by side anymore, and the distance them was growing.

The crew around me broke up, returning to work.

I heard a voice from behind the pirate still holding me.

"Take her below the decks and lock her up down there." When I looked, I saw that it was the captain of this ship telling the pirate holding me what to do next.

So I glanced over my shoulder one last time as I was carried down a flight of wobbly stairs, wishing that the other ship would come after us.

I was dragged over to a post in the middle of the room. Unlike Captain Cullen's ship, this one didn't have cells down here, so I was tied with my hands behind my back to the post and left alone.

When the door to the top deck was shut, I was left in complete darkness, waiting for something to happen.

I was scared. I had honestly thought that they would have saved me because I knew more about those damn stupid papers... but they didn't. And now I was alone, in the dark, in a smelly room, tied up, with a worse fate than whatever it had been before. I couldn't even begin to think about how much this sucked.

**sorry it wasnt all that exciting, even though it was an action scene. but not what? werent expecting them to leave her after she told them that, did you? any guesses as to what the captain told captain cullen that made him lose the fight? once again, really sorry about the lack of action...**


	6. Chapter 6

**heres chapter six. thanks for the reviews! i know theres not much... if any... romance yet, so thanks to those who are still reading and reviewing.**

**i wont have access to a computer again until friday, so im sorry to say that this is the last chapter until then, but then ill start right back up and hopefully get to some romance quickly.**

**please read and review!**

Eventually, I decided to fall asleep tied to the post. A couple of hours must have passed by, but no one had come down yet, and I was exhausted from the long day.

I shut my eyes, but I was still nervous and jumpy from earlier, so I couldn't fall asleep at first. Finally, I began to relax and could feel myself drifting off into unconsciousness.

That was when an enormous "boom!" rattled the entire ship, and I was jerked in my spot.

My eyes flew open and I felt my heart race.

Another crash, and I tilted over into an awkward position because my hands were still tied behind me.

"What's going on out there?" I heard the captain's voice and a door slam, and I assumed that he was coming out of his cabin to check the situation.

Yells were starting up and I heard footsteps above me. What was going on?

More footsteps and more yells. Another crash that shook the ship, tipping me over again.

Suddenly many smaller crashes occurred, like people were falling over and stuff. I struggled to break loose so I could run and see what was happening, but I couldn't. The knot was too tight.

The ship shook again right as the door to the main deck was ripped open above me, letting all of the yelling in loudly.

I couldn't see much because it was the middle of the night, but I saw a figure silhouetted against the sky.

"She's down here!" I heard him yell.

A second later, someone else raced down the stairs and over to me. He crouched down behind me and pulled out a knife.

"Hold still," he whispered.

I didn't know what to do. Was he good or bad?

It turned out that I didn't even need to make a decision yet because at that moment three more people raced down the stairs and over to us, pulling out swords at the same time.

The man behind me jumped up, pulling his own sword out.

I was terribly confused.

They were immediately engaged in a fight, three against one, just like it had been in the previous fight.

I couldn't make out faces, and I had to know what was happening.

"What's going on?" My voice was shrill.

It was a second before I got my answer; they were all preoccupied with the sword fight.

"We're taking you back," the one that had come down first said, grunting as he ducked and plunged his sword through one of his opponents.

I screamed as he fell to the floor, dead, just feet away from me. Blood splattered onto my face.

Now I was able to guess what was happening. The pirates had come back for me. They must have wanted a surprise attack in the dark so that they had the advantage.

Now the fight was more even, but the pirate from Captain Cullen's crew was struggling more for some reason.

So I suppose that it was just luck that Emmett found us then.

"Jasper!" he yelled in surprise when he saw the fight.

Emmett jumped in quickly, and together, he and the other man, Jasper, were able to take another man down.

This time the body fell directly in my lap, and I shrieked and jerked my legs out from under his body so that it was no longer on me.

The next thing I know, someone was behind me again.

"Hold still so I can cut you free," Jasper breathed.

I froze, watching Emmett take on the last man alone.

Then two more people rushed down, and I thought that they were the pirates until they teamed up against Emmett, not even seeing Jasper crouching behind me.

Jasper was tugging at the rope with his knife, but it wouldn't budge without cutting me.

"This might hurt a bit," he said, and I gasped when the blade cut into the side of my wrists and the rope fell away.

Jasper pulled me up to my feet, and it was only then that the others noticed him.

But it was too late, because I was lifted off my feet and carried up the stairs onto the main deck in a blink.

When he put me down again, I looked around to see that some things were on fire. In the firelight I saw that Jasper was the blonde-haired pirate from the steering deck, the one who had been discussing my father's papers with Captain Cullen.

I didn't have enough time to feel any hatred toward him, though, because he turned to look at someone next to us.

"I got her."

I looked at the person he was addressing and saw Captain Cullen, who had his sword out and a body by him.

"Good, now let's get out of here," he said. Then he whistled three times very loudly, and I heard some of the yells stop as his crew ran to jump back onto their ship.

Jasper left me then to Captain Cullen, who grabbed my arm and tugged me toward the railing to jump ships.

"Wait!" I said, remembering something. "What about Emmett? He's down there fighting three people!"

Captain Cullen looked at me and said, "He'll be fine," grinning.

Then he lifted me up and held me tightly as he made an enormous leap over the railings before landing softly back on his ship.

The jump made me dizzy, so even after he let go, I clung to his shirt so that I wouldn't fall over.

"Alright crew! Let's go!" he yelled.

What about Emmett? I didn't see him anywhere.

Then I heard a few crashed on the other ship and let go of the captain's shirt, turning to see Emmett racing out onto the upper deck and making the impossible jump back onto this ship.

"How...?" I stuttered, confused.

"Well, Edward, thank Jasper for leaving me all alone down there," he said to Captain Cullen sarcastically.

Then he turned to me and chuckled.

"You've got a bit of blood on you, Bella."

I looked down at myself and gasped to see a huge dark red spot and some splatters down my front from where the bodies had fallen on and around me. I bet I had splatters on my face, too.

"She can change later," the captain said. I didn't know what to call him now that Emmett had said his name, which I was a bit shocked about. Wasn't he supposed to be addressing his captain formally?

Should I call him Edward or Captain Cullen? I suppose I could call him Captain Edward, unless I was talking to him, in which case I would call him Captain Cullen.

"Now, though, we have something to talk about." When he said this, his face grew impassive, but I could hear a hint of anger in his tone and suddenly realized that I might be in big trouble.

He knew that I knew more than I had said I had, and that my father and I had both lied to him. Of course, my father might not have even known that I had knew anything more, so it was just me... I had been the one to lie to him, keeping it a secret until it could be used to save me. Kind of like blackmail, when I though about it that way. And now Captain Edward was mad and would want more information, information that I didn't know if I should tell him since my father had tried so hard to keep it a secret and I didn't even know what it was for.

But I had already said there were more papers.

If I didn't tell him anymore, would he kill me? Or even if I told him every little detail I knew about what my father did, would he kill me then, just like he had my father?

Yes, this was definitely a bad situation to have put myself into.

I looked over at Emmett for help, only to be surprised when I saw that his face was hard-set also. He wouldn't really go up against me, would he?

Captain Edward spoke again, his voice cold.

"Let's go get Jasper, and then we can talk."

He grabbed my arm tightly and pulled me along as he and Emmett found Jasper, who didn't look surprised at all. Just very determined.

"We'll take this into my cabin," Captain Edward said.

Emmett led the way into Captain Edward's cabin. None of the crew tried to follow us or even look our way.

I was pushed into a chair at a desk and the three of them spread out around the other side of it, all looking at me.

Captain Edward seemed to be the one talking, though, so he said, "You're going to answer each and every one of our questions about those papers and your father. If you do not, the consequences will be severe."

I felt sick as he said this, because I didn't know much about my father's work, but they expected me to.

I was in big trouble.

**how do you like the whole mean Edward thing? i know lots of people dont like it, but i can promise you it will change eventually, so just stay with me for now, please, and please review with helpful things! i want to know how i can make this better for you guys. thanks!**


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